Blueprints builds a college-going culture through events like College Application Week and financial aid workshops.

Some of the highlights included:

* All 289 members of the Blueprints College Access Initiative‘s Class of 2014 earning admission to college and more than $6.2 million in supplementary scholarships. Our partner high schools also saw a 41 percent growth rate in Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completions from 2013 to 2014. Thank you for opening the door to postsecondary education.

* Giving more than 1,000 Alabamians a chance to understand the realities of poverty through the Community Action Poverty Simulation, which gives participants a window into the emotional toll and frustration that individuals living in poverty face. Thank you for teaching us poverty isn’t a game.

* Boosting summer lunch participation through theEnd Child Hunger in Alabama campaign by increasing the number of sites by 40 percent and serving 30 percent more meals. Thank you for ensuring 184,000 children had access to a regular source of nutrition during school breaks.

We are immensely grateful to partners like you for investing in the possibility of an Alabama without poverty. With God’s help, we have the power to make that dream a reality.

I could never imagine doing anything else. I love to write, read, and analyze literature, and I think I was one of very few people to get giddy just looking at the syllabus for each semester.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

I love to read, rock climb, and go to the lake.

What is your favorite thing about Alabama?

I love how many different activities are just a few hours drive away in Alabama—you can go from the beach to the mountains in just a few hours.

Why did you decide to serve as an AmeriCorps*VISTA?

Though I want to go to graduate school in the future, I knew I needed a few years break from school so I started looking into short-term opportunities. In addition, I’ve always felt that the most satisfying careers are those centered on helping others, so when I found out about the Americorps*VISTA program from a professor, it seemed like the perfect fit.

Through the work of Alabama Possible and other like-minded organizations, I envision a state in which every child has access to a phenomenal education and nutritious food so that this state can live up to its potential!

The 40 Blueprints College Access Initiativestudents attended college classes, explored the historic campus, enjoyed lunch in Anna Irvin Dining Hall, and talked with faculty and students about the college experience.

MHS alumnus Dr. Jim Day welcomed the students to campus and shared his personal journey from high school to military, college, and career as a UM history professor. Student Government Association members Rachael Swokowski and Shelby Mays also spoke to the students about their pathways to college.

Many students had graduated from the Blueprints early awareness program as 9th graders. The 11th graders focused on specific details of the decisions they are making about their futures, including upcoming financial aid and college application deadlines.

Christina Morris was the Montevallo Blueprints valedictorian when she was a freshman. After completing the college coaching program, Christina said that “as you go through life, you have to forge your own path, even though sometimes you have to go it alone.”

Mentor Ashley Humphrey, a Mass Communications major, said one of the lessons she learned was that “to get respect, you have to treat others with respect.”

The field trip concluded with a graduation ceremony to celebrate the students’ completion of the Blueprints college coaching curriculum. Kirklynn Hamby, who completed the most independent enrichment activities during the semester, won $50 to celebrate her achievements.

Taylor Bell is a senior sociology major at APP Cornerstone Member Samford University. He is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and is in his fourth year volunteering as a tutor and mentor with APP Faith Partner Baptist Church of the Covenant’s Leadership Southtown program.

We recently sat down with Taylor for an introductory conversation. Here’s what he had to say:

You are in the final semester of your career at Samford. Why did you choose to study sociology?

“I chose sociology because of my genuine passion for understanding both society and how we as individuals find our place within it. Coupled with my passion for justice and equality, I find sociology a means to further understanding why society is structured the way it is, and most important how we can fix it. The ‘human element’ is always presenting us with new opportunities of study.”

How did you get involved with Alabama Possible?

“I got involved with Alabama Possible because I needed an internship for my spring semester. I found out about APP and connected to the staff through Mrs. Cassandra Adams, the Director of Cumberland School of Law’s Mediation Center and Public Interest Project. I pursued the opportunity to intern at APP because I believe in their mission of combating systemic poverty.”

You have lived in Birmingham for four years now. What are some of your favorite places in the city?

“I love Saw’s BBQ, especially the one in Avondale. I also enjoy Urban Standard or O’Henry’s for a cup of coffee and Mountain Brook for a good run.”

Are you reading any books right now?

“I just finished Paul Tillich’s Dynamics of Faith for my ‘Theories of Faith Development’ course. Tillich’s premise is that faith is central to who we are; no one can be faithless.”

What is your favorite movie?

“It is a tie between ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘The Soloist.’”

What is one issue in Birmingham that you would like to see changed?

“The huge disparities among the Birmingham metro area’s public schools.”

In 2013, the Alabama Poverty Project will continue to highlight individuals in the Alabama Possible movement whose work affects change in the dynamics of poverty in our state. Our January spotlight features Blueprints College Access Initiative Mentor, Ariel Smith, a sophomore in our higher education partner UAB’s Global and Community Leadership (GCL) Honors Program. Ariel recently shared with APP staff what her involvement with the Blueprints program has meant in her own life and how the experience has shaped her personal and vocational goals for the future.

Ariel Smith, a Human Resources Major at UAB, first learned about Blueprints in her freshman Exploring Birmingham course taught by APP Executive Director Kristina Scott.

“I had made it very clear in our class discussions that my area of interest would be poverty and education,” said Ariel.

Today, Ariel leads the UAB mentors at Woodlawn High School and said she is “addicted” to the work.

Ariel is a Birmingham native. She was raised in a low-income, single-parent household and graduated from Cornerstone Academy and John Carroll High School. Ariel said she values the chance to extend a hand to students with whom she shares a background, but who might not have the same resources and relationships she had.

“We give them testimonies. We connect them with people they do not have in their families, they do not have in their neighborhood, and they are desperately looking to see. And for me, I’m a chance to be that image of a person that they either want to meet or want to become,” she said.

Ariel’s leadership with Blueprints also impacted her personal goals.

“Blueprints made me try to define where I wanted to go. I’ve realized that I can make an impact on education not so much by always being in the classroom, but on the administrative side. There is legislation that has to be passed, budgets that have to be allocated properly, and people that have to provide basic leadership training and development, where a person with a human resources background can be very helpful,” she said.

Ariel has decided to pursue a Masters of Public Administration after finishing her undergraduate studies at UAB and intends to pursue a career in education policy.

During 2012, faith communities, local businesses, and individuals like you contributed $16,786 to the Alabama Poverty Project.

Montevallo High School 9th graders visited the University of Montevallo at the conclusion of this fall’s Blueprints early awareness program.

. Thank you!

We are immensely grateful to partners like you. You inspire us and constantly remind us that, together, we have the power to end poverty and hunger in Alabama.

We hope that you had a chance to join us at one of our programs this year. The highlights included:

• The Blueprints College Access Initiative, which worked with more than 500 students at eight high schools across Alabama. Through a combination of early awareness and college coaching, Blueprints increases college access by supporting families in college and career planning, financial aid literacy, and ACT preparation. Thank you for helping students pursue their college dreams.

• July’s Summer Workshop and September’s Lifetime of Learning Conference, which brought together students, educators, and community partners to learn about ending poverty and working in diverse communities. At both events, we learned that listening to each other is what makes magic happen. Thank you for giving us the chance to listen.

Blueprints mentors from both NWSCC chapters of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society planned and hosted the campus visit for 22 10th graders. The PCHS students visited history, nursing, sociology, English, and machine shop courses throughout the morning. Afterwards, many students said they learned something new about their intended major while observing the lectures. One student who attended the machine shop course proudly showed off his handiwork, a medallion emblazoned with his football jersey number.

PCHS Sophomore Breeona Baker said that she wants to work in a health care field because “I have always enjoyed helping people . . . I have all of the skills and desires to stay on task and achieve my dreams.”

Breeona was named the Phil Campbell Blueprints valedictorian by earning the most points for her Blueprints portfolio by completing extra-curricular assignments with the help of her teachers, parents and mentors.

PTK officers from the NWSCC’s Muscle Shoals campus led workshops on resume building, professional interview skills, and etiquette. Students then created their own resumes.

Dr. Humphrey Lee, NWSCC president and APP board member, added to the excitement about college when he awarded students who successfully completed the Fall 2012 Blueprints program a scholarship for three credit hours at NWSCC. This scholarship can be added to the Spring 2012 three-credit Blueprints scholarship for a total of six credit hours.

As Dr. Lee said, the students “have money in the bank.”

Dr. Lee also announced a special Leadership Scholarship Essay Contest available only to Phil Campbell Blueprints students who submit essays on what the Blueprints program has meant to them and why they desire to continue their education at Northwest-Shoals Community College. The winner will receive a half-tuition, renewable scholarship to NWSCC.

Thanks to APP Higher Education partner Northwest-Shoals Community College, Dr. Lee, Nora Lee, and members of the two NWSCC Phi Theta Kappa chapters for their leadership.

More than 200 ninth graders in seven north and central Alabama high schools will participate in the Blueprints early-awareness mentoring program during the fall semester. With guidance from more than 50 college student mentors, ninth graders build a portfolio with personalized activities and resources for accessing financial aid, exploring careers and colleges, and acquiring academic and soft skills. The ninth grade program culminates in a focused field trip to a university campus.

Blueprints Program Coordinator Hannah Selles trains Hillcrest High School mentors at The University of Alabama.

To build on our ninth graders’ successes, we are launching work with 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. Beginning this month, Blueprints college-prep coaches will encourage student access and persistence through a combination of ACT prep, career and college planning, and financial aid assistance for families.Blueprints launched in Spring 2009 with just 30 ninth graders at Holt High School and a handful of mentors from The University of Alabama Honors College. Over the past four years, Blueprints has blossomed to serve nearly 400 ninth graders and engage more than 100 college students as mentors.

Want to get involved with Blueprints? Here’s how:

Organize college visits with local high school students; email Hannah Selles to get started.

Become a mentor. Connect with Blueprints programs currently underway in Tuscaloosa (at the University of Alabama), Marion (through Judson College), Montevallo (at the University of Montevallo) and Birmingham (at UAB, Birmingham Southern, and Samford University); email Elizabeth Clark to find out more.

Thank you to the Belk Foundation, the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, BBVACompass, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, and the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens for their generous support of our work.

The Youth Philanthropy Council involves young people, ages 15-18, in the learning and giving aspects of philanthropy. Thanks to the generous support of the Joseph S. Bruno Foundation, the youth have $20,000 which they can use to financially support local nonprofits.

These young philanthropists wrote their own RFP and reviewed the submitted grants. They did site visits, and were full of interesting questions. Then they debated which applicants should receive funding.

YPC Member Shanna Liu, a senior at Vestavia Hills High School who will attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, presented the check to us. She did an incredible job explaining why Blueprints was a good fit for their giving goals. I asked Shanna to share her remarks, and here they are:

Good evening everyone and thank you for coming to this award ceremony. Tonight, the Youth Philanthropy Council has the privilege of recognizing an extremely deserving organization that not only seeks to improve the Birmingham area but also strives toward bettering humanity.

In 1993, a group of citizens concerned with the level of poverty in Alabama created the Alabama Poverty Project in order to reduce what has descended the state to the third poorest in America. Their mission is to provide leadership in education in order to eliminate poverty. In an effort to accomplish their mission, APP has created the Blueprints College Access Initiative, which is a direct service-learning experience for low-income high school students, giving them the opportunity to receive college access counseling and mentoring from college students. Through Blueprints, students learn about important aspects of the college application process, such as financial aid, career and college options, and interview and resume skills. The Initiative has also assisted students in raising ACT scores by 2 to 3 points, providing results similar to that of nationally recognized preparation programs like Princeton Review and Kaplan. Additionally, students have the opportunity to build relationships with actual colleges, as Blueprints connects high schools with universities and conducts campus tours for the participants. Examples of such significant partnerships include Holt High School with the University of Alabama, Francis Marion High School with Alabama State University, and Woodlawn High School with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

YPC chose to award the grant to the Blueprints program because not only does it significantly meet all three of our grant-giving criteria – education, elimination of poverty, and focus on youth – but it also fulfills the underlying purpose our entire council: philanthropy. Philanthropy is the active action towards achieving a positive goal, and Ms. Kristina Scott and all of Blueprints’ staff has done everything in their ability to bring that goal into fruition. They are not only driven by their desire for change in Alabama, but they are also motivated by the inspiration of the children they are able to affect, the children whose lives are forever impacted by the program. Many students in these low-income communities do not dream of college nor even realize it as an option. However, Blueprints makes certain that the kids understand their potential and realize that college is both affordable and accessible.

By targeting the foundation of our society, Blueprints and Alabama Poverty Project has carved a path for youth toward better education that can only elevate Alabama for future generations. Thus, in honor of their relentless effort in promoting education and reducing poverty, the Youth Philanthropy Council awards a check in the amount of $14,720 to the Alabama Poverty Project’s Blueprints College Access Initiative.

We are so pleased to join with Alethia House as recipients of the 2012 Youth Philanthropy Council grant funds. Thank you to these incredible young leaders.